Be Still

“Be still, and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10

In our fast paced world I have to remember sometimes to just take time to be still. I don’t know about you but my mind is like a racehorse most days and it takes a little work to exhale and break free from the blistering pace of things.

I have to remind myself that if I want to maintain and even deepen my relationship with God that I must take time to be still and just enjoy His presence.

I have been asked a few times lately how to grow and deepen our relationship with Him and how to hear him better. First off, I don’t feel like I’m the one to be asking necessarily. That said, I’m not one to turn away someone who, like me wants a deeper and more intimate relationship with God. What immediately comes to mind for me is the advice that I have heard in the past which generally goes something like this “turn from sin, study the bible, and pray”. Sure, those are good answers which are all vitally important and I would never discount any of those things. However, I think a little elaboration may be in order. Actually, I heard a great analogy for this the other day too. If you want to get to know someone and all you did was just studied their social media, online dating profile, photos, resume, etc. and then constantly bombarded them with requests. How much of a relationship do you think you would end up having with that person?

Sure, the bible is key to our understanding of how God wants us to live and offering our petitions to God in prayer is crucial but maybe we need to think about our relationship with God how we would with a new special someone in our lives. He wants our time, He wants our attention, He wants us to share our feelings, our thoughts, our day to day lives with Him and in response He wants us to take time to listen so that He can do the same. He wants to be a part of everything we do. We have to take time to just focus on Him and share ourselves and surrender more and more of ourselves with Him and to trust ourselves into His care.

One of the best ways that I have heard this put lately is that we must be in a place where we can be completely naked and intimate with God. Maybe if that makes us squirm we should think about why and try to change the things that make us uncomfortable with that. After all, He did create us and He does know even the number of hairs on our head (Luke 12:7). Also, let’s not forget that He is everywhere, all the time, and that He knows everything and is all powerful. Just because we ignore Him doesn’t mean that He doesn’t see us, hear us, and know what we’re doing. That should be something to think about before engaging in conversations, or activities in our lives…

There is another aspect to this that I think sometimes we forget. It is one that I think the Holman Christian Standard version speaks to for me.

“Stop your fighting—and know that I am God, 

exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” Psalm 46:10 HCSB

When I read “Stop your fighting…” I am convicted that my “working” to achieve a deeper relationship is missing the point. Sure, just like in any other relationship we have to make time and engage in conversations and activities. It’s just that our works aren’t going to bring us any closer to God anymore than washing someone’s car for them is going to make our relationship with them any deeper either.

For me this is a mindset of centering myself during my day, whether I engage in a conversation with Him in the car, in my heart while I work, or even if I just pause for a few seconds and tell Him how much I love Him and/or to thank Him for all that He has done for me.

Where are you right now? Take a moment to know that our loving, amazing, Sovereign Creator God is right there with you. He is always with us, in the good, in the bad, and even in the ugly and smelly. Does that make you squirm? It shouldn’t. It should be an amazing comfort to know that He is always near.

He loves us so much that He sent His one and only sinless, pure, holy Son to live among us, to die to pay the price for our sin, and to be resurrected to give us a new life with Him. He’s my first love! Is He yours?

Before we pray, I just want to tell all of you who are my brothers and sisters in Christ that I love you and I want to share a blessing for us all.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May the God of hope lift up His countenance upon you, show you His favor, give you His peace, and fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Num 6:24-26, Rom 15:13)

 

God, I am in awe of Your love and in Your abounding patience with us. Thank You so very much for waiting for us even though we have shoved You aside on so many occasions. It’s humbling to think that if You were anyone else that You would have written me off by now and if someone had treated me the same as I’ve treated You, that no doubt I would have too. Please draw near to me, I have a longing and a hunger that can only be filled by a deep and intimate relationship with You. Father, thank You for sending Jesus to come and live on this earth amongst us, thank You Lord Jesus for willingly paying the ultimate price for our sin.